Admission Open for Venice School for Human Rights Defenders! Submit Now!
Human rights defenders play an essential role in the realisation of rights and promotion of equality. Not only do they fight for human rights in situations of oppression and abuse, they also act as monitors, drawing attention both to their respective communities and to the international community to otherwise neglected violations and threats.
They assist victims in claiming their rights and contribute to holding those in power accountable, thereby combatting cultures of impunity, which serve to cloak systematic and repeated breaches of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Furthermore, by linking the local level to the global and the global to the local, human rights defenders contribute to sustaining a circle of empowerment at all levels.
Whether acting individually or as part of an organised group, human rights defenders are often the target of reprisals and may themselves be subject to human rights violations. Because their work is in many contexts systematically hampered, there is an increasing understanding within the international community of the importance of safeguarding and facilitating human rights defenders at national, regional and international level.
Why choose this course?
During the training programme, participants will be able to:
- Develop human rights defenders’ advocacy skills and expertise
- Enhance the ability of human rights defenders to engage strategically with UN mechanisms and examining how they can use them to bolster their work at the national level
- Develop diplomatic and civil society networks
- Share knowledge and expertise which human rights defenders can use to ensure their voice is central in international human rights decision-making processes
- Develop strategies and techniques to increase the potential of human rights defenders’ national and regional advocacy work
- Discuss best practices and ways forward through the mutual exchange of experiences
- Develop networks among Sakharov fellows and other human rights defenders
Course dates:
9 – 16 March 2024
Application deadline:
11 February 2024
To apply, click here
For more details, refer here
